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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8859 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8859

To require the Bureau of the Census to collect information on deafblind 
                  individuals, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2024

Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Williams of New York, 
 Ms. Norton, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. 
Mullin, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, 
   Mr. Lawler, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. 
    Crockett, Ms. Adams, Mr. Takano, Mr. Harder of California, Mrs. 
  Peltola, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Morelle, and Mr. Cardenas) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                             Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To require the Bureau of the Census to collect information on deafblind 
                  individuals, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Deafblind Disabled 
Americans Table Approximation Act'' or the ``Deafblind DATA Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Individuals who are deafblind experience concomitant 
        hearing and vision loss that may prevent access to information, 
        cause severe communication challenges, and interfere with 
        social and emotional well-being. In children, deafblindness may 
        impact development and educational attainment, while in adults, 
        deafblindness may interfere with employment and other areas. 
        The National Center on Deafblindness estimates 10,000 children 
        and 40,000 adults are deafblind, the National Association of 
        Regulatory Utility Commissioners estimates 70,000-100,000 
        people are deafblind, and the Helen Keller National Center for 
        Deafblind Youths and Adults estimates 2.47 million Americans 
        have combined hearing and vision loss.
            (2) It is difficult to determine the precise number of 
        individuals who experience combined hearing and vision loss, 
        and estimates from various national counts offer radically 
        different estimates.
            (3) An accurate, centralized count of all individuals who 
        are deafblind in the United States is necessary to effectively 
        serve the unique needs of this population. Without a 
        comprehensive national picture of this population, individuals 
        who are deafblind may not receive the supports necessary to 
        access information, communicate effectively, and better their 
        social and emotional well-being.
            (4) The Bureau of the Census currently does not count 
        individuals who experience combined hearing and vision loss. 
        Through the American Community Survey, the Bureau does collect 
        data on those who are deaf or have ``serious difficulty 
        hearing'' and those who are blind or have ``serious difficulty 
        seeing even when wearing glasses''. However, this data is not 
        cross referenced to provide information about those who have 
        both limitations.
            (5) Some people who experience combined hearing and vision 
        loss identify as deafblind or as a part of the deafblind 
        community.
            (6) By cross referencing this existing data to establish a 
        count of all respondents to the American Community Survey who 
        experience concomitant hearing and vision loss, an estimate of 
        the United States deafblind population may be calculated.

SEC. 2. REPORT AND PUBLICATION ON DEAFBLIND INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of the Census shall 
submit to Congress a report on the feasibility of publishing the table 
described in subsection (b) and the feasibility of expanding data 
collection on individuals who experience combined hearing and vision 
loss in the American Community Survey (or any successor survey).
    (b) Publication of Table.--
            (1)  In general.--Beginning in 2026 and each year 
        thereafter, the Director of the Bureau of the Census shall 
        publish, on the public website of the Bureau, a table 
        summarizing respondents to the American Community Survey (or 
        any successor survey) who answered ``Yes'' in such Survey to 
        being both deaf and blind. The table shall include the 
        following information, sorted by the State in which such 
        respondent resides:
                    (A) The sex, race, and age of any such respondent.
                    (B) Economic characteristics of any such 
                respondent, including employment status, educational 
                attainment, earnings, and poverty status.
            (2) Limitation.--The Director shall ensure that no 
        personally identifiable information of any individual is 
        published under paragraph (1).
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